Sparrow and Swann
by ChocolateChipCookie25
Summary: While waiting on Will's return, Jack shows up at Elizabeth's cottage and they both have things to say to each other, and are both pleasantly surprised about what the other has to say. ONE SHOT.


Well, only seven more years to go and Will Turner would be reunited with his wife, Elizabeth. They had been through hell and back to be together, sacrificing everything just to be with each other. They had done things that they weren't proud of, and would never forgive themselves for. Elizabeth had left someone to die, and told that person she wasn't sorry. She lied. Of course, she was sorry. More sorry than she had ever been in her life. She had been sorry for a lot of things, for she had hurt so many people that she cared about. It wasn't until Jack had been taken by the Kraken, did she realize she might have feelings for him.

On the way to the locker to save Jack, Elizabeth had been so confused, not knowing if she still loved Will. Well, yes, she did, but was she still in love with him? There had to be a difference between loving somebody and being in love with them. Elizabeth had been just a young girl when she met Will on that day she and her father came into Port Royal. When Elizabeth was really little, her mother would read her fascinating stories about pirates, about how they pillaged and plundered and took what they wanted when they wanted with no regrets. She even taught her the pirate song that she grew to love, and even taught the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

When Will had asked Elizabeth to marry him during the battle in the Maelstrom, Elizabeth had happily said yes. Yes, because Jack was nowhere in sight. Yes, because it meant that Will was no longer angry with her. Yes, because she didn't know if they would survive. Yes, because she knew that Jack wouldn't possibly return the feelings she had developed for him. It had been so hard to say goodbye to Jack. The look on his face broke her heart. He looked like he had lost his best friend. But she was put at ease when he smiled at her. A beautiful smile. She couldn't depart not giving Jack a proper thank you or goodbye, for who knew if she'd ever see him again. Without thinking, Elizabeth leaned forward to give him a kiss, but he had stopped her, telling her that once was quite enough. Elizabeth knew he was joking to break the tension, but she had been disappointed. Before leaving, she had to know. Had to know if Jack had any romantic feelings for her at all? So she had tried to kiss him, and he stopped her. The man confused her sometimes. One minute, he was saving her from a watery grave, and the next minute, he was holding her hostage to make his escape.

That day had been an exciting one indeed. First she receives a marriage proposal by James Norrington, then she falls into the ocean below, and is rescued by Captain Jack Sparrow, then held hostage, and later that same night, is kidnapped by the crew of the Black Pearl. After being saved, Will had told her that Jack planned on handing him over to Barbossa to get back the Pearl, and Elizabeth had been furious. What sort of person would trade another one's life just for a ship?

While trapped on Rumrunner's Island, Jack had explained to her that he had no intentions of handing over Will, and was just going to use him as a bargaining chip, but Will had messed up his plans. Elizabeth still believed herself to be in love with Will, and had returned his declaration of love, and broken off her engagement to James to be with Will.

Fate had a way of bringing her back to Jack a year later after her and Will's marriage had been interrupted by Cutler Beckett. When she ran into Jack in Tortuga, she wouldn't lie, but she was glad to see him again. The way he flirted with her and teased her, his charms worked, but there was no way she had any real feelings for him. For it was just lust, and she probably wouldn't have had those lustful feelings for him if her wedding night hadn't been ruined. When leaving Jack to die, she thought it was because she was still in love with Will, and that she was doing it to save him, but after he was taken, she realized the truth.

The pain was too much to bear. Yes, she felt horrible guilt as having left someone to die, who had saved her life more than once, but it was more than that. Even if Jack had stayed behind of his own free will, chances were she would still be hurting just as much. Not because she cared about him, or because he was a good man, but because she had fallen in love with him. Oh, how badly she wanted to run and embrace him in the locker when she found out he was all right. Kiss him, tell him how sorry she was, and would do absolutely anything to make it up to him. If Will hadn't been there, she would have. But Will had been so good to her, she just couldn't break his heart. Elizabeth had already broke one man's heart, James, and probably even Jack's heart by sending him to his death, as well as her father's heart for not being the proper young daughter he wanted. Will was the only one left, and she couldn't betray him, either. When he proposed to her during the battle, she had said yes, not wanting him to die unhappy. During that whole trip, after rescuing Jack, Elizabeth forced herself to not be alone with him, for she knew she would cave and tell him her true feelings.

Elizabeth had been sorry for killing him, but not sorry for kissing him. Now Elizabeth was forced to wait for Will to come ashore, only one day every ten years. She had become pregnant after consumnating the marriage with Will, but sadly, had lost the baby. Oh, how she wished she could see Jack again. Tell him that she was sorry, tell him that she loved him with her whole being. Tell him that marrying Will had been a mistake. Elizabeth let these thoughts go through her head as she sat in a chair in her small living room, reading a book. Her mind wasn't on the words she was reading, but of all the things that had happened in her life. She jumped when there was a loud knocking on her door. Quickly putting a book mark in her book, so as not to lose her place, she got up and headed for the door. She rarely had visitors. It was late, too. Around midnight.

Elizabeth opened the door and her jaw dropped when she saw who was standing there. It was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow himself.

"Hullo, luv. Long time no see. Might I come in?"

"Oh. Sure."

Elizabeth motioned for Jack to come in, and he looked around the cottage. It was pretty nice and cozy.

"What brings you here, Jack?"

"Can't a pirate come visit the Pirate King?"

"I'm not King anymore. I resigned my position."

"Oh. 'Tis a shame. Mind if I sit down?"

Before Elizabeth could reply, he sat himself down in the chair she had been sitting in.

"Where's Gibbs, and everybody else?"

"First, sit, luv, you just standing and staring at me like I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past is making me nervous."

"Oh. Sorry."

Elizabeth sat down on the small sofa.

"Gibbs is in Tortuga. That mutionous bastard, Barbossa has taken the Pearl again. Luckily, he just left me in Tortuga and not that god for saken spit of land he loves so much. I think he's warming up to me. Anyway, it don't matter. I have the charts to the Fountain of Youth. Being immortal is more important to him than the Pearl. I've been hunting him for quite a while, but sadly, I've had no luck. Oh, well. Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that. I came to see how ye was faring."

"I'm not a child, Jack. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, luv, I just thought you'd be happy to see a familiar face. My apologies."

Elizabeth felt bad. Here, Jack had come all this way to see her and she had been snippy with him.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Rum would be nice."

Elizabeth walked over to a small cabinet and pulled out a bottle of rum, and then handed it to him.

"Thought rum was a vile drink, Mrs. Turner?"

"It is, but I've grown accustomed to it."

She sat back down.

"I see."

There was a small pause as Jack had a hearty swig. Oh, yeah, that tasted good.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack's eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"If you're sorry for burning the rum, I'm over that. Got us rescued, didn't it?"

"No, not that. I'm sorry about leaving you to the Kraken that day. I lied when I said I wasn't. So very sorry. It wasn't until you were taken that I-"

Elizabeth stopped herself before continuing. She would probably scare Jack away, and she didn't want that. Why would Jack have romantic feelings for the likes of her? Especially someone who killed him?

"I knew you were sorry, dearie. You just didn't want to admit it. You were trying to put on a brave face, and convince yourself, but I could read you like a book. I knew the truth. The sorrow was written all over your face. I was proud of you, and then angry with you, and then forgave you. It's over. Everyone's all right now."

Elizabeth smiled. It felt good hearing him say those words.

"If I had to do it all over again, Jack, I wouldn't do it. I would think of something else."

"I know. But it's over and done with. The beastie's gone."

"That's true. Jack, there's something else I have to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I think I'm in love with you."

Jack got that confused look on his face again.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm in love with you. I have been for quite sometime. It wasn't until you were taken to the locker, did I realize I was growing feelings for you. My love for Will was a fantasy, fairytale type of love. I do love him, but I don't have those same feelings I have for you. I love him, but I'm in love with you."

"Oh."

"Oh."

There was another pause. Elizabeth watched Jack as he sat there thinking. He didn't look scared or about to run out the door, like she had expected. Maybe that was a good sign.

"I love you, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at hearing this.

"You- what?"

"I love you as well. Remember when I had Will stab the heart, so that he wouldn't die. I didn't just do it for him because I'm a good man, I also did it for you because I have those feelings for you, too. Remember when me compass wouldn't work? It was because I couldn't decide what I wanted more: finding the chest of Davy Jones, or you. I wanted you, but didn't want to want you for I knew that you loved Will and was going to marry him. The fact that you chained me to my ship leaving me for the Kraken, made me love you even more. No, not for killing me, but the fact that you saved everyone. You left someone to die to save others. Even if you really weren't sorry, I would still have forgiven you, and still loved you. It hurt, I won't lie, but I couldn't stay mad at ye. You're hard to stay mad at. Never in me wildest dreams have I felt for another woman, the same way I feel about you. I came here asking you to leave with me, Lizzie. Now, before you answer, there is something I have to show you."

Jack reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a piece of parchment, and handed it to her. She took it, still surprised by Jack's confession, and read what it said.

Dear Captain Sparrow,

This is Will Turner. I never got a chance to properly thank you for what you did. I know I betrayed you by turning you over to Sao Feng, but I only did it because I thought that you had stolen Elizabeth from me, and I needed the Pearl to free my father. I figured if any ship could beat the Dutchman, the Pearl could. Anyway, I am sorry about that, and I thank you again for what you did for me and Elizabeth. I do have a confession to make, though, Jack. I don't want Elizabeth to be chained down, waiting on an island, only to see me once every ten years. What kind of life is that? You know how they say if you love something, set it free? Well, I'm giving Elizabeth that choice. If she wants to stay and wait for me, she can. But I know that's not what she wants to do. She shouldn't have to go through that burden. She's already lost both of her parents, and she deserves to be free. I know deep down that you have feelings for her, and that she has feelings for you, too, even though she wouldn't admit it to me in a million years. Go to her, Jack. Take her with you aboard the Pearl. Make her happy. If she still wants to see me in ten years, have her meet me on the island, and we can see each other. Not romantically, no. It also turns out that our marriage wasn't even legal. There had been no witnesses, no exchanging of rings, no marriage certificate, nothing. It wasn't a real wedding. I would have written to Elizabeth, and told her, but I'm a coward. Yes, I may be heroic and stupid as you like to call me, but when it comes to breaking it off with the woman I truly love, I'm a coward. Please take care of her, Jack. Respectfully yours,

Will Turner.

Elizabeth had tears pouring down her cheeks as she finished the letter. Poor Will. He had known. Known all along that she was in love with Jack.

"Oh, Jack."

"I'm sorry, luv."

"I'm not."

Elizabeth crumpled up the note and walked over to Jack, and sat on his lap, and gave him a huge kiss on the lips. This kiss made the one on the Pearl look like a tiny peck on the cheek. After kissing him, Jack looked up at her with lust in his eyes.

"Come away with me?"

"Of course I will, Jack. But- how did you get here? If the Pearl's gone-"

"I took a dingy to see my father, Captain Teague, and he agreed to let me borrow his ship for a while until I get the Pearl back."

Elizabeth happily packed the fews things she would need. There wasn't much, just some clothes and a few of her favorite books, as well as her sword. Jack had helped Elizabeth bury the chest in a safe location where no one would ever find it. She had promised Will to always keep it safe, no matter what, and that's exactly what she was doing.

"Come on, luv, let's go get back the Pearl."

THE END


End file.
